At what age did you switch to the rebreather? (From OC)

At what age did you switch to the rebreather? (From OC)

  • Before 20

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • 20 to 25

    Votes: 5 5.0%
  • 25 to 30

    Votes: 18 17.8%
  • 30 to 35

    Votes: 13 12.9%
  • 35 to 40

    Votes: 11 10.9%
  • 40 to 45

    Votes: 15 14.9%
  • 45 to 50

    Votes: 16 15.8%
  • After 50

    Votes: 15 14.9%
  • After 60

    Votes: 7 6.9%

  • Total voters
    101

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Nico-ITA

Registered
Messages
57
Reaction score
27
Location
Italy
# of dives
I'm a Fish!
Just curious to understand the average age at which people here decided to leave the open circuit
 
I think it'd be interesting to compare the motivation behind the age as well.

As far as I'm concerned, voted 45 to 50 (49 to be precise). Why ?

- money, previously it was just day dreaming
- found the right rig, rather a late comer on the (French) market : Triton mccr. Previous competitors where both too expensive and complicated to my tastes or too spartan.
- diving nitrox on every dive + deco on high %O2 seemed a good improvement since I'm not getting any younger
- breathing hot gas is nice, the Atlantic can be cold
- had hypoxic trimix in mind (still have)
 
I started diving with rebreathers (pure oxygen CC) in 1975.
I was 16.
Soon after I also started OC (twin tank - there were no single tanks here, at the time).
I abandoned rebreathers in 1981, and I did never see a good reason for coming back.
And I switched to single tank in 1985.
Some people could see this as going down, instead of going up...
 
Very curious to see how the data shakes out here. I'm in my 30's and cost is currently standing in the way of making the jump. My wife and I are both interested in switching to CCR, but we are only starting our journey into technical training so we are in no rush. We'll see what the next few years looks like.

Seth
 
I trained on an AP Evolution in 2011 at age 70, bought a used one in 2013, pimped it out a bit and dove in for a year, and sold it in 2014.
It was fun, but didn't suit my diving. I travel a lot, like to dive with my wife, and could not get enough time in on it to feel comfortable. Every dive felt like I was starting over. I was doing 100-120+ dives a year, but only a few on the CCR.
 
I started diving with rebreathers (pure oxygen CC) in 1975.
I was 16.
Soon after I also started OC (twin tank - there were no single tanks here, at the time).
I abandoned rebreathers in 1981, and I did never see a good reason for coming back.
And I switched to single tank in 1985.
Some people could see this as going down, instead of going up...
I think this is the path that most people did in Italy at that time, at least with Fipsas. I say this because the path you did is the same as my first instructors in fipsas
 
I expect most to be between 40 and 50.
In general, scuba diving is an activity that does not appeal to the youngest, for various reasons. If a young person (let's say between 20 and 30) is passionate about this activity, it still takes time to complete a serious path before reaching the rebreather, even if this trend changed a bit in recent years IMHO. The main problem is, however, the economic aspect, as it takes more than 10k€ to start and the average person, with an average salary, I think has other priorities up to 45/50yo.
I would therefore be very curious to know the story of the people who switched to the reb before 40
 
I trained on an AP Evolution in 2011 at age 70, bought a used one in 2013, pimped it out a bit and dove in for a year, and sold it in 2014.
It was fun, but didn't suit my diving. I travel a lot, like to dive with my wife, and could not get enough time in on it to feel comfortable. Every dive felt like I was starting over. I was doing 100-120+ dives a year, but only a few on the CCR.
CCR demands your commitment. There's little point in spending a short amount of time on the unit as you'll never get over the training 'hump'.

I started on the rebreather at 61, intending to dive it extensively until I'm forced to give up technical diving. Absolutely love diving on CCR, couldn't imagine what it would be like going back to blowing bubbles. Oh yes, bailout.

With the exception of very deep MOD3 dives, I really like that the kit's fairly consistent pretty much regardless of the dive profile; one or two bailout cylinders. And a scooter.

When I'm forced to give it up because of some medical problems, then sailing beckons. Can do that into one's nineties (like my mum and dad!)


Edit:
Just to clarify, there's nothing currently wrong aside from the usual aches and pains of life. I'm being realistic about age-related physical decrepitude which is very likely to affect serious technical diving: carrying 100kg of kit for example.

Don't get those problems when sailing :cool:
 
I expect most to be between 40 and 50.
In general, scuba diving is an activity that does not appeal to the youngest, for various reasons. If a young person (let's say between 20 and 30) is passionate about this activity, it still takes time to complete a serious path before reaching the rebreather, even if this started to change a bit in recent years. The main problem is, however, the economic aspect in my opinion, as it takes more than 10k€ to start and the average person, with an average salary, I think has other priorities up to 45/50yo.
I would therefore be very curious to know the story of the people who switched to the reb before 40
I'm 28 and did my mod1 earlier this year.
Got back into diving about 3 years ago with an AOW card and it's been quite a journey to where I am today, don't even want to add up how much money I've spent.
I know a lot of divers in their early twenties who would like to go the tech path but cost is the main issue they all bring up for not doing it now.
Taking the step into the tech realm of diving can and will be pretty hard on your wallet, and most young people just don't have the financial stability to justify that cost.
 
I'm 28 and did my mod1 earlier this year.
Got back into diving about 3 years ago with an AOW card and it's been quite a journey to where I am today, don't even want to add up how much money I've spent.
I know a lot of divers in their early twenties who would like to go the tech path but cost is the main issue they all bring up for not doing it now.
Taking the step into the tech realm of diving can and will be pretty hard on your wallet, and most young people just don't have the financial stability to justify that cost.
Maybe it is not your case, but I believe that a lot also depends on where you live and if you are lucky enough to have around you, in your life, people who have this passion. For example, I live in a mountain village, where even today a diver is seen as a Martian and often arouses curiosity. Starting your diving career in a place like this means relying on a diving club, therefore relying on the advice, times and suggestions of experienced people and instructors who are part of it. In my case it was a club that only practiced recreational diving and inevitably with a limited experience on technical diving (The double tank was not already seen well, the rebreather instead was pure evil, for those who more or less had an idea of what is).

I am 41 and I have been a diver for about 20 years: after about 10 years of recreational diving and after becoming a recreational instructor of the diving club mentioned here above, I started wanting more, so I started looking for information, contacting other agencies, driving hours to take technical courses, etc...
Now I have been a technical diver for about 10 years and I would like to do the next 10 or more with the reb
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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